


Something Extra, Something More

by orphan_account



Category: KickTheSticks, Phan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 09:19:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3890944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil. Blue eyes, black hair, bleak life. Desperate for something old.</p><p>Dan. Brown eyes, brown hair, no life. Desperate for something new.</p><p>Dan's days at South River High need something more. When Phil Lester transfers to his class, 'something more' may come in the form of a Muse-obsessed, video game-loving dork with a fringe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Icy Eyes

"Mr. Howell, I suggest that you begin to pay attention, or I may need to send you back to the headmaster's office." The teacher's voice scraped Daniel Howell's ears and woke him up from his daydream.

 

"Yes, Miss," He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. The instructor turned away, back to the board, and Dan's cheeks tinted slightly pink. "Damn, this class is so effing boring..." He mumbled to himself. Dan's spot at the rear of the class, next to the window, was dark and smelled slightly of pot smoke. He had thought he could fly under the radar here, but not anymore, he supposed. Dan sighed and twiddled a pencil between his fingers. The half-awake students were barely paying attention to the droning teacher at the chalkboard.

 

"H-Hello?" He snapped his head up at the sound of a new voice. A tall, lanky, pale boy stood in the doorway, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. "Sorry I'm late, I couldn't find the building." Dan realized, with a closer look, that _sweet Jesus, that boy is hot as hell._  


 

"It's alright, dear." She gestured to the empty seat next to Dan at the back of the room. "You can sit next to Daniel, in the corner there. Class, this is Phillip Lester. He will be joining us for the rest of year ten."

 

"Please, call me Phil, Miss Stevens," He corrected with a charming smile. He was cute, tall, and a smooth speaker? Dan couldn't fucking believe this boy was going to be sat next to _him_ for the rest of term. How would he survive? How would he manage to keep his hormones to himself? Was this boy even _gay_?

 

God, he was like a frigging magnet. He had jet black hair, slightly longer than Dan's own, with a perfectly cut fringe that was swept back over his forehead. His icy eyes looked warm and welcoming with his childish grin. Dan could feel his face heat as the boy strode over to him and sat in the worn wooden desk.

 

"Hi, I'm Phil," He bent over his knapsack and rummaged around. "You're...Dan?" He sat up, a pencil case in his hands. "Sorry, we just met. Can I call you that?"

 

"Yeah, of course!" He exclaimed. _Fuck, I was too eager! He's going to think I'm a freak!_ "I mean...sure." He could feel his ears turn pink with embarrassment.

 

"Alright, Dan." He laughed slightly. "Sorry, I just don't really make friends all that easily. It's hard moving, you know?" Phil blushed. "Sorry to unload all that on you. Oh God, I'm babbling again!" He murmured, Dan straining to hear the handsome boy's every word.

 

"It's alright, really, I don't really mind." Dan said. The class around them seemed to be drowned out as they spoke, as if time had stopped for them. "Uh...I can give you a tour of the school, if you want, so you don't get lost, I mean, if you want me to..." Phil's face lit up as Dan babbled on.

 

"That would be great! Thanks, Dan."

 

"Excuse me, boys, but I do believe our upcoming exam is more important than your budding friendship." Miss Stevens mused with a smirk. The boys blushed in unison. _God, this is just a Japanese schoolgirl giggle-fest, for fucks sake._  


 

"Sorry, Miss." Dan's heart fluttered when he saw Phil looking at him admirably out of the corner of his eye. He had a feeling that something had just happened to both of their lives.

 

Something extra, something more.


	2. Lunchroom Politics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone :) For future reference, I plan on updating once or twice every day, so stay tuned for a daily dose of Phan :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

"Nobody ever really comes to the cafeteria, to be honest," Dan said through a mouthful of food. "They either go to the upperclassmen's lounge, or to the milkshake place across from campus." He was sat with Phil in the corner of the lunchroom, side by side at an empty table.

"Yeah, the only people I've seen eat here are these kids names Chris and PJ," Phil mused. "They seem like nice guys, I suppose, I mean they like Pokemon and Zelda just like me..."

"You've got a DS or something like that?" Dan asked. He found it very hard to believe that a boy that cute was also into all the same things as he was. "What's your favourite Pokémon?"

"Oh, I love me some Growlithe." He giggled. "I love lions." Jesus fuck, this boy was cute. Don't mind Dan, just having a shitton of HORMONAL MOOD SWINGS!

"I don't really know what my favourite is to be honest." He took another bite of his sandwich. "Uff, this sandwich tastes like fish tits."

"How do you know what that tastes like?" Phil raised an incredibly attractive eyebrow. How could a line of hair be that sexual?

"I don't!" Dan flushed bright red. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"I know, I know." He laughed. Phil bent over his backpack and pulled out a worn green book and a crumpled timetable. "Can you tell me which classes we're in together?" But Dan had his eyes fixed to the notebook. He pulled it over to his seat and ran a hand over the rough cover.

"What's that?" Dan asked.  _God, is he an artist? Holy shit my ovaries are going to explode. Wait, I don't have ovaries. I'll grow them first._

"You can look inside, if you want." _Then they'll explode._  Dan looked at him with puppy dog eyes.  _Holy fuck! The cute kid is an artist! And he's letting me look in his fucking notebook!_  He opened the front cover to a chicken scratch of a signature, with a tiny lion doodle.  _Aw._

The first few pages were just filled with scribbles, and a couple pencil tests. Then the drawings evolved into more intricate things, more detailed. They turned into winding landscapes, beautiful portraits. There was even one that looked like an older version of Phil.  _Maybe it's his father?_

"I'm in love with strangers." Phil's words broke Dan from his trance. "I love drawing them, talking to them...there's so much more to them than we think, you know? You can learn so much from them, more than from any of our bullshit high school classes." Dan closed the book tentatively and handed it back to Phil with a smile.

"You're really talented." He pushed his fringe off of his forehead.

"Thanks!" Phil blushed bright pink. Just as he tucked his sketchbook back in his bag, the warning bell for after-lunch classes rang. "I suppose we should go now, then."

"Yeah." Dan snuck a peek at Phil's timetable. "Oh man, you need to hurry. Mr Pimms gives out detention if you're not there on the dot." He picked up his bag and straightened his tie. "First door on the left, just out of the caf. Can't miss it." Phil gave him a warm smile. 

"Oh, one second!" He pulled out his phone. "We should exchange numbers. Y'know, 'cause you're the only person I know, here, really..." Dan punched in his number and handed the phone back to Phil. 

"Ring me if you have any problems, the teachers are kinda insane at South River." Phil grinned.

"Alright. See you later, Dan." He strode off, not quite confidently, but not quite embarrassed. Dan's phone vibrated against his thigh not even a moment later.

**Phil: Where's the classroom again?**

 **Dan: First door on the left of the cafeteria.**

 **

Phil: I think I might be in the science wing 

**

Dan grinned at his phone and tapped out new directions. This gorgeous boy was as dorky as could be, but that's what made him so much more attractive. 


	3. Two A.M. Is More Romantic On The Roof

**Phil: Dan**

**Dan**

**Dan**

**Dan**

**Dan: What?!**

**Phil: Can you come over**

**Dan: Phil, it's 2 am.**

**Phil: Please?**

**Dan: ...**

**Dan: I'll be there in ten minutes.**

**Phil: Yay!**

Two weeks had passed since Dan met Phil, two weeks since Dan fell in love with the nerdy boy that he is. He learned that his father's military job moved them from place to place, and that his older brother is blind. He found out that drawing was kind of his coping mechanism for all the moves. And, possibly the most important thing: when he's bored in the night, he pesters Dan. Possibly to the point where if he's lonely, Dan will sprint a mile to his house.  _He has this hold on me, but not an insidious one, I suppose._ Dan quietly slipped out the front door and jumped on his tiny ass bike.  _I hope it's not another cat video._ The night sky was cloudy and dark, and smelt of rain, but Dan felt quiet and peaceful nonetheless. An owl hooted somewhere out of sight. He could see the outlines of houses and trees, and the moon's silhouette was glowing behind the clouds like a ring stain on a table. Finally he reached Phil's house, tucked away at the end of a narrow road. He reached the bungalow window to Phil's room, but a hand clamped on his mouth and pulled him back. 

"Phil?"

"Aw, I thought I could scare you!" He giggled. "I have something to show you, come on." Phil led him around to the back of the house, trying to be quiet but failing miserably. 

"Well, Phil, it's two A.M. on a Sunday, and instead of sleeping off an existential crisis, I'm in your backyard. what the hell are we doing here?" Dan sighed and rubbed his eyes, giving Phil an exasperated look.\

"It's promise, I'm fun. Ack!" He laughed and blushed, at least Dan thought so in the waning moonlight. "It's fun, I promise, I mean. Come over here." Phil gestured to a stocky tree, with a ladder precariously balanced on a branch.  _You've got to be shitting me. The roof?!_  

"Phil!"

"What?"

"You brought me a mile out in the middle of the night to climb on your roof?"

"Well, it's not actually the night, 'cause it's two A.M." He remarked. Dan promptly slapped him on the back. 

"Alright, let's climb this bitch." Dan was the first to make it to the top. Strong legs, he supposed. Phil was tall and skinny, but still incredibly unfit. He only just managed to pull himself up onto the roof.

"You know, everything is so much more...romantic, when you're lying on a roof." Phil said. His eyed glazed over as he stared at the moon. "It's strange how that is." Dan glanced at Phil, admiration in his eyes.  _Oh my god, what if he likes me back?! What if he's going to tell me he likes someone else? What if-_ "Dan? Are you okay?" Dan snapped out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." They were silent for a few minutes, a comfortable, but electric one. "Phil?"

"Mmph..."  _He's asleep, isn't he._ Dan poked his cheek tentatively.  _Yep._

"Phil, I'm not carrying you down the tree ag-"

"BOO!" 

"Fuck! Phil, what the hell?!" Phil was smiling like a complete ass while Dan pelted him with bits of shingle tiles. "Why the hell did you do that?!"

"It was funny!" He giggled. "Everything is funny at two A.M. Right?" 

"Sure, Phil. Have fun with that." Dan couldn't help but smile to himself. Phil was right.  _Everything is more romantic on the roof._

 

 


	4. No Homo

"Take that, dorkus!" Dan screeched at Phil, mashing the buttons on his PlayStation controller. He hit Phil's Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat Trilogy with a final Fatality and pumped his fists in victory. "Oh, Phil, I feel so bad for you, that decade of experience you had before I was even born!" He grinned.

"Oh come  _on._ " Phil pouted. "I thought I could finally beat you with the pink mist!" 

"Pink mist?" Dan shifted on the bed. They sat on Phil's bed, legs pressed together in an attempt to stay on top of the small twin size. "I can't tell if you're bluffing, I wouldn't be surprised if it was real, though, coming from you." Dan grinned.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Phil asked.

"Probably."

"I'm gonna get you Danny!" Phil wiggled his fingers and giggled. "You'll pay for thissssssssss!" He advanced on Dan with a maniacal smile. He started tickling Dan on his neck, and he instantly cringed away from Phil. 

"Stop, that's my weak spot!" But it came out more like "Tahp, tat's my wee spot!" because he was laughing so hard. Phil leaned in and pinched his cheeks. They were wet with tears from laughing.  _Fuck, he's so hot right now. Oh shit he's like five seconds from my face what do I do_ "Philll...?"

"Yeah." 

"What are you doing?"

"This." Suddenly Phil leaned in and pecked Dan on the lips. Dan could feel himself turning red. No, purple. Whatever colour makes is clear that you're embarrassed as fuck but also bursting on the inside with joy because  _uhmuhgud he likes me he kissed me uhmuhgud what do I do?! Do I kiss him back or -_ "Sorry." Phil wiped his lips on the back of his hand. "I didn't mean to. I mean, I did, but..."

"Phil?" Dan poked his cheek.

"Uh...yeah?"

"No homo, right?" Phil's cheeks flushed pink and they both burst into a fit of giggles. "I just...I need to know how you really feel, about me, I guess." Phil pushed back his fringe and sighed. 

"I don't know, Dan. I think I liked you the second I met you. But I'm not sure about, you know...being completely  _gay,_ you know? I'm  _questioning_." He said with air quotes as he spoke 'questioning'. 

"I get it." Dan sat up and pulled on his fringe. "I knew it was probably too good to be true." He could feel a frown pulling at his lips. Phil made a face and pulled Dan towards him by the t-shirt. 

"It's not, though." Phil wrapped his arms around Dan's shoulders and whispered in his ear. "It's too good not to be." Dan whispered back.

"I think I like you, Phil."

"I think I like you, Dan." Dan sighed into Phil's embrace. 

"Um..." Dan could feel a tear roll down his cheek. But it wasn't his own. "Dan...please don't tell anyone about this." They broke the hug and Phil wiped his eyes. "If my parents found out, they would kick me out. I-I don't want that, until I can support myself."

"I get it. My parents are pretty cool, I guess. They know I'm 100% skim homo. But...it's not safe for you. So, uh, this is a secret, for now." Dan held out his pinky. "Promise?" Phil locked his finger around Dan's.

"Promise."


	5. You Set My Soul Alight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eek sorry for not updating! I've been working on another project for the past week so 

_You set my soul alight_...

Dan closed his eyes and slipped on his headphones. He lay back in his desk chair and loosened his tie. Jesus Christ. He flicked on his laptop, turned on his music and set to work on his history assignment.

 _Glaciers melting in the dead of night_...

Phil pushed back his fringe and turned up the volume on his speakers. He could feel Matt Bellamy's crooning immediately calm him down. The shouts of his parents from downstairs were drowned out by the two things that made him happy:

Muse, and the thought of Dan.

 _And the superstars sucked into the._..

Dan sighed and turned up the volume on his laptop. The frantic shrieks of the kids outside made him cringe, and the confusion he felt from his bullshit history homework didn't make him feel much better. The only thing getting him through the day was his music...

...and the thought of Phil.

 _Into the supermassive_...

Phil's head was a graveyard of sneaky eavesdropping and horrible yells, both as a result of his parents. He could hardly stand the constant screaming from his feuding parents. He slipped his window open quietly, grabbing his phone and turning the speakers up slightly to avoid suspicion. He slunk onto the roof and tapped out a quick message to the one he couldn't get his mind off of. 

**Phil: Need to see you.**

**Dan: I thought you would never ask.**  

 _I thought I was a fool for no one_...

Dan pedalled as fast as he could towards Phil's house, grinning with anticipation about seeing him again. He leapt off of his bike and ran to the back of the house, eagerly climbing the ladder Phil had left for him. He tapped on Phil's window and slid it open. He immediately heard the song he'd been listening to for years spill out of the room. 

"You set my soul alight." He whispered to Phil, lacing their fingers together.


	6. The Kids Can Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* Violence and homophobic language. Triggering material for some. Be cautious of your limits, loves.

"Phil, you need to-STOP IT!" Dan laughed.

"Come on, Danny!" Phil said in [in his creepy voice](https://youtu.be/ca-qF8CYFH0?t=1m26s). "Let Philly give you a hug!" Dan jumped up from his seat on the grass outside of the Science Wing and ran to hide behind a tree. Phil, being the blind person he is, had to put on his glasses to find Dan hiding so blatantly behind his tree. They didn't notice the people coming after them until it was already too late.

"Well, well, well..." A voice murmured. "What's going on over here, girls?" Phil looked around for a group of girls before realizing the person was talking to them.

"We're not girls..." Phil whispered, barely audible. Dan looked up into the faces of three boys he recognized from class. Greg, the ringleader, with scraggly blonde hair and a crooked Alan Rickman nose. Thomas, the fighter, tall and lean with a strong jaw and soft brown eyes. Doug, a wannabe gangster with big chains dangling from his neck.

"What do you want?" Dan ground out, raising a skeptical eyebrow. He saw Phil back up behind him, lowering his eyes to the muddy ground.

"Just enjoying the nice day, Daniel. What are _you_ doing?" He smirked. "Rolling around with your boyfriend? Pathetic, Howell."

"We're not _dating_ , Greg. Leave us alone." Dan waved his hands around. "Go beat up a kid, or something." He felt Phil cringe away from him.

"Oh, but that's what we're going to do." He cracked a knuckle. "We're going to beat up you kids." Before Dan could react, Greg hooked a foot around Dan's ankle and pulled him to the ground.

"Oof!" Dan tried to stand, but Thomas pressed his knee into Dan's chest. His eyes widened in fear as Greg approached Phil slowly. He could tell Phil wasn't a fighter. He wanted to stand and protect Phil, but the boy on top of Dan had no intent of moving anytime soon. He yelled in anger as he saw Greg sink his fist into Phil's stomach. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Phil crumpled to the ground in pain. _Where are the fucking admins?!_ Dan circled his arm around the neck of the boy on top of him and rolled on top of him, pressing his face to the dirt with no inkling of mercy in his body. He twisted Thomas's wrist as he leaped off the ground and charged into Greg's back shoulder first.

“What the fuck?!” Greg screamed, falling on top of Thomas. Doug hadn't moved from his initial position, he seemed to be scanning the yard for teachers and/or other thugs to join in the fight. Phil stood, his face bloodied and bruises forming on his neckline. Dan stumbled forward and pushed him away from the boys on the grass.

“Go! Get out of here!” Phil nodded and sprinted towards the main doors of the school. Dan turned around and saw Thomas still lying on the ground, Greg standing next to him, wiping blood from his nose.

“You're gonna regret that, fag...” He mumbled. He crouched into a fighting stance, but was stopped instantly by a voice from the left.

“Greg, what the hell?!” A blonde girl with a voice the size of a moose was sprinting towards the boys at top speed, hair blowing into her angry face. “What the hell are you doing?! Get away from them!” She screeched.

“Fuck off, Louise! This is none of your business!”

“It is when my big brother is beating up some kid they can't even take on!” The girl, _Louise_ , red faced and wild eyed, crossed her arms and glared at Greg. “Did you really think I wouldn't find out?!” She asked. Louise pinched Greg's ear and started dragging him towards the group of people at the front doors, where Phil and Miss Stevens stood, cleaning his cuts. Dan limp-ran towards his best friend, eyes full of triumph but bruises full of defeat.

“Dan!” Phil smiled weakly. “Are you alright?” Miss Stevens taped a plaster onto a cut above Phil's eyebrow and dismissed herself to call their parents. She herded the rest of the crowd towards the school for after-lunch classes. Dan made sure everyone was gone and pulled Phil behind the school before he answered.

“I couldn't let them hurt you,” He whispered, tentatively touching the bruises along Phil's neck and shoulders. “I'm sorry, Phil, I had to fight them. I couldn't _stand_ seeing you in pain.”

“Dan...” Phil pulled him to his chest and spoke softly into his ear. “As long as you're with me...I can't be hurt.”


	7. Liguori, Kendall and Pentland

Dan and Phil were sat, two days after the incident, across from two boys in the music room. Chris, a boy with light brown fringe similar to Dan and Phil's, who had a clean jaw and dark brown eyes. PJ, a boy with dark curly hair and eyes the colour anyone would describe as summertime.

Anyone with any sense could tell that these two liked each other. Some seemed to think that they were already dating, some thought that they were married, a completely crackpot theory but not without reason. If you could only see the way they looked at each other. Dan and Phil could easily see through the "just friends" act the two put on. After all, they were living that facade at the very moment. They tried to convince themselves that that was the way it had to be to protect Phil. And aside from Chris and PJ, the only people who knew about them was the blonde named Louise. Not on purpose, though. Never on purpose.

* * *

 

“Sorry about that, boys.” She had said, not even an hour after Dan had fought her brother. “He's always been an arse. I didn't know he was a homophobic arse, though.” She sighed and shook her head. The boys stayed silent, shoulders pressed together. Dan had no intention of letting Phil leave his sight for a long time.  _I swear to God or whatever is out there that if anyone touches Phil again I will kill them_. He looked at Phil, whose icy eyes looked hollow and pained.  _Promise._  “Well, if you ever need anything, I'm Louise.” The girl smiled, holding out a hand to Dan. He shook it and rubbed the back of his neck. “And I've made sure that Greg's classes with you have been switched to the ones for lads who are failing classes.” She grinned.

“He's not gonna mess with you again if he knows what's good for him.”

“Thanks, L-Louise...” Phil mumbled.

“Welcome. And Dan...” Her smile softened. “You're a great fighter. Don't waste your talent."

* * *

"Peej, are you gonna finish that?" Chris asked. He pointed his plastic fork at PJ's mashed potatoes. He slid them towards Chris.  

"Nah. Just take them, they're disgusting," PJ wrinkled his nose in disgust. Dan fiddled with his hoodie string. Phil doodled in his notebook. The boys sat in comfortable silence while they finished their lunches. _These guys are pretty cool, I guess._ Dan looked around the empty music room, at the dusty old band books and the used guitars and brass instruments. 

“So,” Chris said through a mouthful of potatoes.  “You guys don't seem that laddish. What do you do for fun?” Dan elbowed Phil lightly.

“I usually beat his ass at video games.” Chris laughed. PJ slapped him on the arm. 

“No talking with your mouth full.” “Sorry, mom.” Chris closed his mouth and grinned. Dan smiled mischievously. 

“So...you guys dating yet?” PJ blushed and spit out his drink.

“Where'd you get that idea?”

“Come on, PJ.” Phil mused. “You know our secret.”

“Ooh, Philll, I didn't know you were such a devil!” Dan smiled. The boys fell back into a fit of giggles. 

“If you really must know...” Chris mumbled. “PJ was my first.” Phil blushed like mad and Dan giggled nervously. PJ flushed purple and smacked Chris on the back of his head. 

“Chris doesn't mean it like that, obviously.” He glared at Chris. “I'm his first boyfriend, is what he means.” 

“Ohhhhhhh.” Phil sighed. “Nevermind, then.” 

“Nevermind what?” 

“Hallo, boys!” A bubbly voice exclaimed. Dan turned to see Louise Pentland, in all of her blonde, beautiful glory, with a huge tuba case dangling off her back. “What are you doing here?” She asked, placing her heavy case carefully on the carpeted floor.

“Hey, Lou. Just having lunch.” PJ said, smiling his gorgeous summery smile at her. _Do they know each other? I guess...if he wasn't so blatantly flaming gay then they would be a perfect couple._

“You know the bell went off, like, an hour ago?” She asked. 

“What?!” The boys exclaimed in unison. They jumped from their seats and grabbed their bags. 

“Ahh, just joshing, you pouffes.” Louise giggled. The boys sighed and slumped back to the ground. “Soooo...” She sat next to them and crossed her legs. “You guys, y'know, _know_?” 

“Whaddya mean?” Phil asked. 

“That Dan is Superman. About each other, you dorks!”

“What about each other?” Phil asked again. “That you're all flaming homos.” She said with a straight face. Then she burst into a fit of giggles. “You're bound to know at some point.”

“Yep, Lou.” PJ sighed. “Flaming gay. _Literally._ ”


	8. Crushed

"Daniel!"

"Ah!" Dan shot up in his bed, nearly clocking his mother in the face in the process.

"Up! Up and dressed, now!" She clapped her hands as Dan pulled on a hoodie and black jeans.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked groggily.

"It's Phil." His mother said. What?! "His parents found out."

"What?!" "They hurt him, Dan. Badly." Dan clenched his fists and his face turned red. "He's in the hospital. He's being admitted to re-structural bone surgery in two hours. We need to hurry if we want to get there on time."

"Okay."

The ride to the hospital was pitiful and helpless. Dan was vibrating with resentment while he imagined Phil lying in pain. He couldn't figure out why his parents were silent. He could feel his mother's worry, his father's resentment. And his own despair. _I swore I would never let anyone hurt Phil again._

I failed him.

"He's in stable condition, considering the state he came in. He should be waking up in an hour or so." The doctor turned to Dan's mother. "I understand the boy has your family as an emergency contact. However," He took his glasses off. "Should anyone else attempt to come in, I've left a pager on the bedside table." Dan's mother nodded. Anyone else? _Oh, that's right. His damned parents._

"Mom," Dan said as the doctor left. "He can't stay in that house anymore." She tilted her chin at Phil.

"He'll be moving in with us until the end of high school." She glanced at Dan's dad, who nodded back. "We've already discussed this. He'll be living in the guest room next to yours." Dan sighed with relief and wiped his sweaty forehead. His fringe was plastered to his skin. He looked over to Phil, who's black hair framed his resting face like a devilish halo. His mouth was slightly open, the pink colour ebbing and flowing with every breath he took. Purple and blue bruises dotted his thin arms like paint spots.

And underneath the covers...his broken hips.

Dan had seen the destruction Phil's parents had wrought before he began the surgery. His right hip bone jutted out from his form, his left looking crushed under his pale skin. Under the sheets and layer after layer of bandages was the 'love' his parents gave him.

_No one should be 'loved' like that._

_Ever._

"Hmm...?" Phil? Dan rushed over to the bed, where Phil's eyes were fluttering open and closed. His breathing was harsh. Dan couldn't make out any icy blue between his flickering lids.

"Phil? Phil, it's me, Dan! Wake up!" Dan put a hand on Phil's shoulder and shook him slightly. He coughed and his breath hitched for a moment. "Phil!" The sleeping boy calmed once more and fell back into his sleep. "Ugh..." Dan slumped to the floor next to the bed. Five forty-two A.M.

"He's resting, honey, you can't wake him now." Dan's mother placed a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be awake soon. Be patient."

"C'mon, Dan, let's go get some coffee." His dad groaned as he stood. Dan could hear his joints cracking as he stretched out. Ew... He stood and followed his father out the door. "He's gonna be okay, y'know." He clapped a hand on Dan's back.

“I feel horrible.” He lamented. Mr. Howell looked at him with tired eyes. Both of them knew what happened had nothing to do with Dan, but pointing it out would just make him feel worse. “I should've seen this coming.” His father sighed.

“I think we all saw it coming. Your mother and I knew from the start that his parents were unstable. We never thought...” Dan stepped past his dad and ordered two coffees from the woman at the hospital cafe. The employee gave him a sad smile as she handed him the Styrofoam cups. Dan handed his father the cup. “We never thought they would be capable of something like this.” Dan nodded and sipped the drink. It tasted like arse, but he needed caffeine. The two were silent walking back to the room. No words needed to be said for the remorse Dan felt.

_I ruined everything._

He felt...he felt that if by some magical chance, he had never met Phil, none of this would've happened. His parents never would have _crushed his fucking hips_. No pain ever would have even been in sight for Phillip Lester. But, Dan was selfish. He wanted Phil in his life more than anything. More than getting into a good uni, more than he wanted to make his parents proud. Phil was his rock while everything swirled around him in a haze of confusion. The men stepped into the room. Phil was still asleep, his mother reading on her Kindle.

_I_ _f I don't have Phil, what do I have?_


	9. Return

“You ready?” Dan asked. His grip turned white on the wheelchair's handles. Phil gave him a sad smile. 

“I'm ready.” 

“Right.” Dan kicked the button on the wall and took a deep breath. Phil picked at a hangnail and waited for the door to open. It swung open, and Dan pushed him inside. The crowd's chatter instantly ceased. Dan walked in silent consternation as a path cleared straight down the middle of the throng. He heard Phil cringe at the whispers and murmurs echoing off the walls. 

“Dan, I-I wanna go back,” He mumbled, making an effort of turning to face him. 

“We can't,” Dan sighed, wanting more than anything to turn back and hide with Phil. “It's time. We have to come back at some point.” 

“You go back then,” Phil's voice trembled. Dan felt a pang in his heart. _I should turn back._

_No, you can't. Phil needs this._

_But it's hurting him! Can't you see that?_

The struggle in his head was giving him a migraine. Why shouldn't he go back? There was nothing stopping him. Phil sure as hell couldn't, and neither could anyone else around him, so why was he still going? Why was he in the doorway of his homeroom? Why was he taking Phil's work books out of his bag and setting them out, to make sure he wouldn't struggle with it in the middle of class?

“Dan, please...” Phil was crying now, and Dan was so glad no one else was around. He wanted to cry too. “Please take me back. I don't want to do this, not in front of everybody.” He sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

“We need to do this together.” Dan plopped down in his seat next to Phil and looked at him sadly. His jumper-with fox heads, a very Phil thing, mind you-was wet with tears and snot, and the blanket over his lap and hips was speckled with drops. Dan had to look away. “It's important. If we don't do this now, we won't pass year ten, and then where would we be?” 

“We would be together,” Phil dried his face. The tears had stopped coming. “We would still be together. We could do the whole thing over again, and it would be a new start, like nothing ever happened-”

“It did happen!” Dan slammed a fist down on the desk. A girl he didn't recognize started in the doorway and scurried to her seat in the front row. “It happened,” He repeated, more softly. “It happened and that's why this needs to happen, because we need to move on.” Phil shook his head.

“I don't want them to find out what happened,” He lamented. “What if they make fun of us?” 

“All these idiots think is that a gang jumped us on Winter break and that we had to recover.” He made a 'safe player' motion with his hands. “Simple, done. No questions.” The other students started to trickle in, their conversations floating after them. Only a few even gave Phil a second glance. Well, save for Louise.

“PHIL!” She screeched, running at the pair of them at full speed. Tears rolled down her rosy cheeks as she pulled Phil(well, his torso) into a soul-crushing hug. “I'm so glad you're okay! Wait, are you okay?” She studied his face. “Yeah, you're good. Ooooh, I'm so glad you're back!” She squished him again. Phil smiled at Dan from under her arms and gave him a half-hearted thumbs-up. “Aww, I'm so happy. I love you guys!” She exclaimed. Louise pulled a reluctant Dan into the hug, and they stayed like that 'till the teacher came in.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh, Phil's back.”

“Yeah, Dan is, too.”

“Didn't Greg beat him up?”

“No, he beat Greg up.”

“Oh.”


	10. Camping Trip 1/2

“Just shove those in the trunk, on top of the sleeping bags,” Chris slapped the hood of his rental van. “Oh, for the love of God, Phil, save your singing for the road!” Phil immediately stopped butchering ‘Wheels on the Bus’ and gave Chris a devilish smile.

“Oh, leave him alone, Christopher.” PJ scolded. Chris pumped his fist in the air and gave out a triumphant sound.

“He called me Christopher! Oh, baby, I’m gettin’ some later!” PJ knocked him over the head with a bag of marshmallows. “Don’t worry, sunshine, I’ll have Luke bother them later as well.”

“Not that I’m not _amazingly entertaining_ , I don’t think that even my bullshit will distract everyone from you guys.” Luke Cutforth piped up. The front doors of South River burst open to reveal Louise, Dan, and Emma Blackery, who brightened immensely when she saw Luke.

“I don’t think it’s just you guys we’ll have to watch…” Phil murmured, watching Luke scoop Emma into his arms.

“Feel free, I’m not a man who hides,” Chris shoved the last few bags of supplies into the trunk of the van and winked at PJ. “Howell, Pentland, mackers, let’s go!” Emma flipped the bird at Chris and gave Luke one final kiss before sliding into the backseat, her boyfriend following close behind. Dan hopped in next to Phil and nuzzled into his neck. Chris started the van, Peej sat in the passenger seat next to him, Lou sat on the opposite side of Phil.

“Not that it wasn’t a fantastically terrible idea, but why exactly did you make us sneak onto campus to pack for this?” Louise asked, watching Phil watch Dan tap away at his Gameboy.

“Well, y’see, I had to escape my little sis,” Chris explained, gaze never leaving the road. “Oh, sod off, you stupid Hummer!” He screamed. “Share the bloody road!”

PJ rolled his eyes and turned back in his seat, giving Louise a ‘Jesus Christ I can’t believe I’m actually dating this ass’ look. “Let me translate: he had to escape his sister because he drowned her Guinea pig by accident and she hasn’t found out yet.” Chris’s phone vibrated against the glove box.

“Can you check that for me, baby?” Peej rolled his eyes again(Dan was starting to sense a pattern) and grabbed the cell out of the box, accepting the call and turning down the radio. Every person in the car focused on the phone.

A screech emanated from the tiny metal box, and Chris immediately cringed. “CHRISTOPHER JAMES KENDALL YOU ABSOLUTE TWIT HOW COULD YOU DROWN THOM-” Chris quickly grabbed the phone and chucked it out the open window, giving his boyfriend a terrible grin and quickly rolling it back up.

“Hah, um.” He cleared his throat amidst the stares of his company, and shifted his eyes back to the road. “I needed a new one anyway.” They continued to stare. “There’s no reception where we’re going, anyway! It’s not like I’d be able to use it, right, babe?” PJ laughed and turned the radio back on.

“Good God, Kendall, you really are an enigma.” Dan giggled.

Phil stretched his arms out over his head and laid it down in Louise’s lap. “Extreme.”

“Phillip Lester, are you cuddling with Lou instead of your flesh-and-blood boyfriend?” Dan asked. Phil nodded and pulled his blanket over himself.

“She’s like the warm anime body pillow I never had.” Louise clapped her hands triumphantly and stuck her tongue out at Dan, cuddling Phil closer to her body and sighing happily.

“Y’know, if you two weren’t so bloody gay and in love, I’d think Lou and Phil would get together.” Emma piped. Dan grumbled and punched at his Gameboy.

“Go snog your boyfriend, Blackery,” Emma smiled and leaned forward to plant a kiss on Dan’s cheek.

“Sure thing, sugar.” Luke whined sadly at Emma once he saw her tiny kiss. “Oh, shut up. I just said I’d give you one, didn’t I? C’mere.”

 

* * *

 

“Help me unpack all this shit, guys!”

“No way, Chris! We had a deal!”

“How was I supposed to know blasting T-Swizzle would land me with all this crap?”

“Have fun, Chris, we’re heading to the lake!”

“WAIT FOR ME!”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Phil, you still awake?” Dan whispered. _Probably not. No one is, I’d think, it’s bloody four A.M._

“Mnnh…” Phil rolled over and snuggled closer into Dan’s chest. _Guess not._

_Well, Phil. I guess I’m all alone with you and my thoughts now. Let me just say right now...I really love this. Not just the couple stuff, and the friends, and the spontaneous camping trips. It’s lying in the back of a van with the trunk open, looking at the stars and breathing in the smoke from the dwindling fire. It’s like...when I look at you, even with all the random bullshit and adventures mixed in, all I see is the day we first met. Remember that day, Phil?_

__

Dan looked down at Phil’s sleeping face and smiled softly to himself. The sun was bravely colouring the clouds a deep pink.

_On that day, you walked in with your bloody cute blue eyes and your bloody cute smile, and I was just camping out in the corner with the pot smell and the desk carvings. You were like a damn white knight, y’know? God, I can’t believe I’m even saying this...I sound like a manic pixie dream girl that we all want, but can’t find. I found you, though._

**  
You’re my something extra, Phillip Michael Lester.**


End file.
